We Buy Two-Families, Mixed-Use Buildings & Lots in East New York

Housing Stock

East New York Houses, Walk-Ups and Commercial Corridors

East New York developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a neighborhood of row houses, frame houses and small apartment buildings, with commercial strips along Atlantic, Pitkin and Liberty Avenues and elevated train lines overhead.

Today most privately owned housing is one- to four-family houses, many of them attached brick or frame homes on narrow lots. Larger apartment buildings, newer affordable developments and the Spring Creek and Starrett City area near Jamaica Bay add a very different mix in the southern part of the neighborhood.

Value varies sharply by sub-area. A two-family near the A and C trains on Liberty Avenue, a corner on Atlantic Avenue, an industrial lot in the business zone and a house near Fresh Creek can each trade on very different terms. We price each property on its own block, not on a neighborhood average.

Zoning & Rezoning

The 2016 Rezoning and Development Potential in East New York

The East New York Community Plan, approved by the City Council in April 2016, was the first neighborhood rezoning under the city’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program. It increased residential density along Atlantic Avenue, parts of Pitkin Avenue and other corridors, and mapped new mixed-use districts near Broadway Junction.

For owners, the result is that some lots can now support far larger buildings than the houses or garages on them today, with a share of units required to be permanently affordable. That development value is often not reflected in what a typical homebuyer will offer.

City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, approved in December 2024, added citywide changes that can affect small lots, parking and building size, and the city continues to plan for the area around Broadway Junction. We check the current rules for your specific lot before making an offer, and you should confirm the details with your own attorney or architect.

Landmarks

Landmark Status in East New York

Unlike parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant or Crown Heights, East New York is largely outside the city’s designated historic districts. For most owners, facade changes, additions and new buildings do not require Landmarks Preservation Commission approval.

That flexibility, combined with the 2016 rezoning, is a large part of why developers are active here.

Still, we never assume. We check every address for individual landmark designations, flood zone mapping, special district rules and other restrictions before we price it.

Regulated Buildings

Rent-Stabilized and 421-a Buildings in East New York

East New York’s walk-ups and older apartment buildings often include rent-stabilized units, and the neighborhood has a growing number of newer buildings built with tax exemptions and regulatory agreements. Since the 2019 rent law, regulated rents grow slowly, while taxes, insurance, fuel and repairs rise faster. Many small landlords reach a point where a sale makes more sense than another decade of management.

Some newer East New York buildings were built under 421-a. That program expired for new projects in 2022 and was replaced by 485-x in 2024, but existing 421-a buildings continue to carry affordability and registration requirements for the length of their benefit. Buyers who misread those requirements misprice the building.

• We buy fully or partially stabilized buildings with tenants in place
• We buy 421-a buildings that are mid-benefit
• We review DHCR registrations, regulatory agreements and HPD records
• No need to vacate units or resolve tenant matters before closing

See our pages on selling a rent-stabilized building and selling a 421-a building. As always, consult your own attorney and tax advisor before signing a contract.

Where We Buy

East New York Streets and Corridors We Focus On

We buy throughout East New York, with particular interest in:

• Atlantic Avenue frontage upzoned in the 2016 rezoning
• Blocks around Broadway Junction and the East New York LIRR station
• Pitkin Avenue and Liberty Avenue mixed-use corridors
• Two-family blocks around Pennsylvania, Van Siclen and Schenck Avenues
• New Lots Avenue and the blocks near the New Lots Av station
• City Line and the blocks along the Queens border
• Industrial and commercial sites in the East New York Industrial Business Zone

Transit access shapes value here. East New York is served by the A, C, J, Z and L at Broadway Junction, the A and C along Liberty Avenue, the 3 train to New Lots Avenue, the L train, and the Long Island Rail Road at East New York station.

East New York sits among several neighborhoods where we also buy, including Ocean Hill and Bushwick to the northwest, Cypress Hills to the north, Brownsville to the west and Canarsie to the southwest.

Why Owners Sell

Why East New York Owners Sell Directly

Most East New York owners who call us are dealing with one or more of these situations:

• A family home held for decades that needs more work than the family wants to take on
• Long-term tenants, rent-stabilized units or nonpayment cases
• Roof, facade, boiler, foundation or flood-related problems
• Open DOB or HPD violations, unpermitted work or a certificate of occupancy that does not match the use
• An industrial or auto-use property with environmental questions
• Co-owners or heirs who want a clean, private exit
• Rezoned land with more development value than a homebuyer will pay for

A conventional sale in these situations often stalls on financing, inspections or the appraisal. We buy as-is, price the issues up front and typically close without a mortgage contingency.

Your Options

Selling to a Developer, Listing, or Building Yourself

If your East New York house is vacant, legal and in good condition, a broker listing can reach end buyers who will pay for that, and it may be your best route. We say so openly.

For properties with tenants, regulated units, violations, estate complications or development value, a direct sale often works better. We price those issues once, buy as-is, and typically do not rely on a mortgage, which removes one of the most common reasons deals collapse. For land along Atlantic Avenue and the other rezoned corridors, we can evaluate what MIH and current zoning allow and pay for that potential directly.

Developing yourself is also possible, and some owners with larger lots consider it. It means financing, architects, permits, contractors and construction risk over several years. If you would rather capture the land value now and move on, a direct sale gives you a clear number.

How It Works

How Selling Your East New York Property Works

Our process is simple and private.

• Share the address and basic details; we respond within one business day
• We review zoning, the certificate of occupancy, violations, rent roll and title basics
• We visit once, at a time that works for you and any tenants
• You receive a written offer that shows how we got there
• We close on your timeline, typically all-cash and as-is

No public listing, no signs, no open houses, and no need to clean out the property. Start with our sell your property page if you want to see what information helps us respond quickly.

Market Context

East New York: Brooklyn’s Largest Rezoning Area

East New York is one of Brooklyn’s largest neighborhoods by land area, stretching from Broadway Junction to Jamaica Bay. The 2016 rezoning, new affordable housing along Atlantic Avenue and continued city planning around Broadway Junction have made it one of the borough’s most active areas for new construction.

That activity brings more buyers, but it also brings wide swings in pricing between rezoned and non-rezoned blocks. We give you a written number backed by the zoning, the building and the comparable sales.

Micro-Neighborhoods

Broadway Junction

East New York’s northwest corner is one of the busiest transit crossroads in Brooklyn, and it is also where the city has focused much of its long-term planning for the area.

Broadway Junction

Broadway Junction is the triangle where Broadway, Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue converge near Van Sinderen Avenue, at the meeting point of East New York, Bushwick, Ocean Hill, Brownsville and Cypress Hills. The station complex connects the A and C, the J and Z, and the L, with the Long Island Rail Road’s East New York station a short walk south on Atlantic Avenue. The area is dominated by elevated tracks, rail yards and the industrial district to the south, with limited retail for a hub of its size. The 2016 East New York rezoning allowed denser, mixed-use development along Atlantic Avenue and nearby corridors, and in 2023 the MTA and the city announced a major station overhaul with new elevators, entrances and public plazas on Van Sinderen Avenue and Fulton Street, with completion targeted around 2030.

Around the junction, the property mix includes two- and three-family frame and brick rowhouses on the side streets, mixed-use buildings under the el, auto shops, garages, warehouses and vacant lots. Many owners have held for decades and now face heavy repair needs, tenant issues or violations. We buy here all-cash and as-is, including commercial and industrial buildings, small multifamily buildings, development lots and properties with title or estate complications. Rezoning and future project details change, so confirm what a site allows with a zoning professional or attorney. Owners farther south and east can see our New Lots and Spring Creek pages, and Cypress Hills and Ocean Hill border the junction directly.